Has minimal Poncirus bitterness
can survive 5°F, -15°C
When the fruit in the second picture was picked. it was about 8 months old at the time. The fruit was seedless. It has a very agreeable taste. High acid, brix is 9.8
When fully ripened at about 10 months, the fruit tastes very much like a kumquat, the skin and pulp are sweet, brix of 13.4. Slightly tart, with kumquat aftertaste.
It is an Oval kumquat and Willitscitrange hybrid (Citrus japonica . 'Nagami' x (Citrus trifoliata x Citrus sinensis 'Ruby')
It was an early breeding attempt to develop a cold-hardy variety. It first fruited in Thomasville, Ga., and is a prolific bearer of kumquat-orange-flavored fruit. Established trees may grow to 15 feet in height and can survive temperatures as low as 5 degrees.[1]
It becomes edible when fully mature, though it is relatively seedy. It is very juicy, valued for eating fresh. Most people commented that it is a poor lime substitute, but the best one for a cold climate.
The cross was made in 1909, and the variety was named and described in 1923. Fruit medium-small, globose to oval; colour yellow to orange-yellow.
The tree is very vigorous, upright and thorny. Leaves are variable but mainly trifoliate. Presumably because of the larger size and edibility of the fruit, it is much the most popular citrangequat variety.[2]
I have two trees labeled Thomasville. The grafted one is not trifoliate or thorny, nor is it very seedy. The flavor is very similar to kumquats. I have another plant grown from seed that has mixed foliage type. It seems to have a similar flavor. They came from Stan McKenzie[3] Thomasville have some zygotic seed and will cross pollinate, so unless the plants are clones of the original cross they may not be the same as the originally described tree. Trifoliate leaves and thorns often occur on seedlings and during growth spurts of Poncirus hybrids, which then revert to thornless or reduced thorns and unifoliate leaves when the plants grow more slowly and/or mature.
Sinton is an Oval kumquat and Rusk citrange hybrid first fruited at Sinton, Texas, and was named and described in 1923. It is an attractive ornamental and the fruit is beautifully coloured but highly acid.
Fruit is small, round to oval; often necked; colour deep reddish orange; sharply acid; nearly seedless. Tree moderately vigorous, upright, nearly thornless; leaves mainly unifolilate. [2]
Willits citrange is a result of crossing Trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata) with a 'Ruby' sweet orange (Citrus sinensis cv. 'Ruby'). The cross was made by W.T. Swingle at the USDA in 1913. (actually this cross was made before 1899 [4])
9/24/2015
Thomasville is the most viewed variety on this blog. Let me know what your plant looks like.
Prolific flower buds, small thorns, unifoliate leaf
Seedling with variable leaf type
I have a Thomasville citrus from Stan McKenzie and plan on getting it in the ground when it gets a bit warmer.
ReplyDeleteI know it will take a while for it to fruit, but I can't wait!!
Love your blog, thanks for the information.
Thomasville is a winner with yield and reliability. Thanks for the complement!
Deletehow long from seed will they possibly produce fruit
DeleteA guess would be 4 years, maybe shorter if grown under ideal conditions. Much depends on how many leaves from the bottom most leaf to the very top on the center stem. Citrus have a 'counter' that requires a certain number of leaves before blooming. It varies depending on the variety. Mine bloomed at 4 foot.
DeleteMy citrangequat fruited for the first time this year It's pretty good. Thanks for all the info..
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome.
DeleteCan i buy Thomasville seeds?
ReplyDeleteProbably the best "real" cold-hardy" hybrid Citrus to be eaten...fresh are like lime, ripened tastes similar to Orange
ReplyDeleteI could not understand what he meant when first claimed that the fruit was seedy then later claimed that another fruit was seedless? Are they random from the same tree or 2 fruits from 2 different trees?
ReplyDeleteWhen first described, perhaps 1929, the fruit was described as seedy. My fruit trees had seeds ranging from few to none. It could because I have a seedling and not a clone from the original tree, or that there were few bees or other conditions present that are not favorable to having many seeds, and where the original plant was described there was more pollen or other conditions promoting seeds.
ReplyDeleteAlso one of my fruits were seedless, others have 1 to 3 seeds. It's the first time it fruits this year.
DeleteDo your fruits take frost? If yes,how many degrees and do the fruits suffer? The fruits of 8 months in your pic took frost?
Thanks
I wanted to congratulate with you for this interesting blog, i didn't find so many news anywhere. I am always here when i want to have info about some hardy citrus
Last winter I left fruit on the tree all winter. The low may have been 20 degrees F. In the spring they were still on the tree, a little dried out but still tasted good.
DeleteAll fruit are sensitive to freezing temperatures, however it depends on the actual temperature and duration. Just below freezing for a few hours will not harm the fruit. It doesn't generally get very cold here until December. Pick fruit before a sustained freeze.
ReplyDeleteAlan, which zone does your area belong to?
ReplyDelete8a, it has gotten as low as 6 F (-14.4C)
DeleteOh I am in Atlanta, zone 8a as well. May I ask at what month it will start to bloom and will it bloom continuously and will keep producing young fruits gradually until the first winter freeze?
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if young fruits would ripe before winter come?
Spring flowers will ripen before winter. Summer flowers will not.
DeleteMost blooms are in the spring, not exactly sure but will make a note when it does, fruits are ripe by December. There is often a second bloom period in June, flowering can also happen sporadically at different times. Fruit from summer blooms of course will not be ripe by then, but can be used as a sort of lime.
ReplyDeleteAre flowers fragrant and as fragrant as of an Orange Tree? No damage at 6F??? You mentioned above you are in 8a zone. My zone is given as 7b in South eastern BuLGaria but my lowest temperatures have been no lower than 10F for the last 20 years. Usually it gets down to 10F for a night or two each winter and to 15F for a night or two and the rest of the winter is around freezing pit, few degrees below or above. Daytime temperatures most of the time are above freezing. I am wondering if it could survive but most important is fragrance!
DeleteAlan, did you notice the difference in fruiting season of the 2 Thomasville citrangequat trees you have? I just wonder whether or not the trifoliate rootstock induces the citrangequat fruits to ripe quicker because trifoliate fruits are riped in Sept-Nov.
ReplyDeleteG, I will graft this year onto poncirus and poncirus hybrids, I have lost track of sources.
DeleteGood question. I will do a high graft and see in a couple years. I didn't pay attention
ReplyDeleteto the existing plants
Does anyone have a supply of Thomasville seed right now?
ReplyDeleteI don't know if they keep over a season either.
Stan McKenzie sold out of grafted Thomasville -so I had to settle for some seedlings. Keeping my fingers crossed on those. Our lowest temp here was -6 f. in 1932.
Seedlings appear to be clones of female parent. Initially may be more thorny or trifoliate, fades as plant ages.
ReplyDeletecitrangequat grown from seeds might show better cold hardiness than the grafted one. It was probably due to the evolutionary adaption pass down to the next generation from citrangequat ancestor.
ReplyDeleteGrafting selected cultivar, without improve its gene by germinating new seedlings, will degenerate the cultivar after several decades. Citrangequat seedlings though looks and fruit taste might not show much difference, but the evolutionary adaption always silently takes place through out many generations.
ReplyDeleteI got my Thomasville citrangequat from Agrumi Lenzi, Italy in November 2019. It was a small plant (20cm above soil surface) for a small price (10,-€), grafted on Flying dragon, nevertheless it bloomed one week ago and now it is carrying 6 little citrangequats. I hope, that at least one will stay on the plant and will ripen.
ReplyDeleteHave you planted it outside and in what USDA cold hardiness zone? What is the lowest temp you got? Are the blossoms fragrant and as fragrant as of an Orange Tree, like perfume?
DeleteIt should, if there are enough leaves near the fruit.
ReplyDeleteToday there are only 2 fruits remaining on this small twig with 8 leaves. The waether here in Vienna momentarily is changing between sunny days with 86°F and rainy days with only 64°F. So chances are good, that the plant will drop the remaining 2 fruits. Maybe the plant will produce more new leaves after the fruit drop and some fruits of the summer-bloom then will remain on the tree ....
ReplyDeleteIs your plant in the ground? Plants in pots can be water stressed and drop fruit more. In any case, give it some fertilizer, it could help.
DeleteNo, its in a pot on my balcony, because it is too small to plant it in the ground and maybe too small to bear fruits. Until today only one fruit (diameter 1,5cm) has survived on the tree. But I'm sure, that next year, after there have grown more leaves on the tree, there will also be more fruit
ReplyDeleteI'm planning on crossing my US-852 with my meiwa kumquat when the former comes into bloom in a few years. Perhaps some of the seedlings will share similarities with the Thomasville as they share similar parentage. Might have to get me a Thomasville now......
ReplyDeleteGood idea!
DeleteThomasville seems to have identical plants from seed.
US-852 is more edible than the Citrange in the Thomasville cross, would be interesting to see the outcome!
DeleteI should say palatable* lol
DeleteAgreed. I really like 852 Citrandarin. Tart and tasty.
DeleteThanks Alan! I'm hoping to get some polyembryonic seeds with some zygotic shoots. A big marker will be any monofoliate/bifoliate leaves vs the trifoliate of the US852. Trifoliates would most likely indicate nucellar clones.
ReplyDeleteMy citrangequat is still going great. Makes a great pie!
ReplyDeleteDoes it have fragrant blossoms, as fragrant as Orange Tree? Is it to survibe 5F??? USDA 7b in South Eastern BuLGaria???
ReplyDeleteIt should survive in your area. Keeping it out of the wind and sun in the winter will help. Since it is only 1/4 poncirus it should be fragrant. I do not remember how fragrant kumquats are.
ReplyDeleteThank you
DeleteMy citrangequat and UGA Changsha were the only of my citrus that survived this last chaotic winter on 2022. I had to prune off most of the tree due to frost damage. I expected it to take a year off, but it is flowering and setting fruit off the new growth. Truly an amazing tree, and I highly recommend it to 7b/8a growers..
ReplyDelete